Hobnob Neighborhood Tavern, Atlanta GA

Earlier this year, we visited the popular 10th & Piedmont in Atlanta and learned that this restaurant is the third and newest of three owned by Sean Yeremyan and his brother Gilbert. Hobnob, their second venture, opened in 2009 in the home of a former Caribou Coffee at the corner of Piedmont and Monroe, across the street from Ansley Mall. You know where Metronome Music used to be? That corner. Although don’t park in the old Metronome lot; Hobnob employs a valet as their own lot is quite small.

Hobnob’s shtick is classic American pub food given the sort of local and seasonal twists that we’ve come to expect in Atlanta. Marie and I were invited to try some of their fall selections and really enjoyed talking to Sean for a while. He’s a terrific host who really enjoys chatting about food. He’s constantly tweaking recipes and experimenting before putting anything on the menu. Even if Sean’s at another table telling tall tales and explaining what he’s been up to in the kitchen, you’re likely to get a really great server who knows the menu inside and out and can make great recommendations. The staffing here is excellent, so what about the food?

We started with a tomato and burrata salad, which is Hobnob’s twist on a classic caprese salad. Burrata has enough of a different flavor profile to mozzarella that it gave Sean an opening to add a little balsamic vinegar to the mix, which isn’t part of the usual caprese mix. We’ve actually seen that done a couple of times ourselves, for some reason. But while balsamic on caprese is nontraditional and a little odd, here it’s perfect. This is a great start to a meal here, really tasty and fun.

We followed that with something that our friend Serina from Hot Dish Review (link below) urged me to try. I didn’t actually know what I was ordering when I asked for the southern spring rolls; I just trust Serina enough to follow her advice. Turns out that these weird and wonderful treats contain smoked pulled pork with collard greens. I won’t claim that I loved them, but man alive, what an interesting little snack. I like this place; it’s so fun!

Unfortunately, they turned the lights down low as our main selections arrived, owing for some more-woeful-than-usual pictures. Every fall, Hobnob returns their celebrated pot roast to the menu for about five months. Marie absolutely loved it. She said that the beef was more tender than she was expecting; it separated “like butter.” To be clear, she said that it was the best dish she’d eaten in the last few weeks. It’s served in a completely delicious gravy.

Also new to the menu: the fried green tomato BLT. This was really interesting, although a little heavier with the sauces than I would have preferred. I think there was too much of the horseradish relish on it. This was a good twist on a simple BLT, but not a great one. I’d like to order it again without the dressing and see how that goes.

We didn’t sample their ten-inch pizzas, because there’s only so much food we can tackle at a single sitting. Our server was wild about the latest one, with pork belly, arugula, pineapples, and more of the burrata that Sean enjoys so much. We were certainly tempted!

For dessert, Sean was very keen for us to try the peach cobbler, and it was pretty awesome. Marie also had a slice of cheesecake, which was also good, but after we agreed that the cobbler was much better, we swapped desserts. Overall, I was pleased, but Marie was even more taken with her meal. I liked this place, and Marie adored it. It’s certainly worth another visit!

(As noted, this was a media event and our meal was complimentary. It’s our policy to always note when we’ve received our meal without charge. If you would like to invite us to your restaurant’s media events, please drop Grant a line at gmslegion@gmail.com .)

Do you enjoy classic adventure TV? I’m reliving some great shows from my own childhood with my four year-old son. Come join the fun at Fire-Breathing Dimetrodon Time!